[RYAN’S FORECAST]

The last time the Drive-By Truckers stopped into Ziggy’s in late 2011, they brought along an opening band that ended up doing rather well for itself. A year later after their dynamite opening set, the Alabama Shakes were handed a Best New Artist Grammy nod en route to being one of 2012’s buzziest bands, but then again, the Truckers’ track record of bringing along openers worth the price of admission speaks for itself. J. Roddy Walston, Glossary, Heartless Bastards, Centro-Matic and Megafaun are just a few of the outstanding supports they’ve introduced in the past few years, and when they hit Ziggy’s for a two-night stand starting this Friday, that pattern doesn’t change. As their debut album There Is a Bomb in Gilead might suggest, there’s a sharp duality to Alabama rock quartet Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires. In one sense, the music within is a construct of Bains’ church upbringing, drenched in spirituality and soul, but in another it’s ragged and raw as the punk music he cut his teeth on. It was easy to miss out on Alabama Shakes a couple of years ago, but with a chance to catch Bains and the Truckers on Friday and Saturday, there are no excuses. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of for each show, though there is a $40 two-day pass. Both shows start at 9 p.m.

THE BEST OF THE LAST 100 YEARS OF WINSTON-SALEM MUSIC, TAKE TWO

So the Winston-Salem centennial concert last month didn’t quite go as expected. Personal and political provisos led to a lot of irrelevant tunes finding their way into the 100-year retrospective, while a lot of important work was disregarded because their inclusion would have undercut the city of Winston-Salem’s other performing-arts series. The centennial concert organizers are aware that too much was left on the table, and they’re finishing what they started this Friday night at the Hanesbrands Theatre expect several of the same faces (except for Stephen Dubner and John Wurster) and a lot of familiar tunes, some of which you might have even wanted to hear. Tickets are $10 and the music starts at 8 p.m.

GLADYS KNIGHT WITH THE O’JAYS

“Can’t nobody sing a ballad like these brothers,” O’Jays musical director Dennis Williams told a sold-out crowd at the DPAC during their last stop two years ago. It was true; Eddie Levert and Walter Williams are still in possession of two of the finest voices in R&B, but when they return to the DPAC this Sunday, they’ll be joined by a singing sister. For more than 50 years, Gladys Knight’s career has ran closely parallel to that of the O’Jays and though it never intersected on record, it’s never too late for a twilight alliance. The two legendary acts are touring under the Family Reunion banner, even though they have rode different currents outside of R&B — Knight finding success in pop and AC with the O’Jays making hay in disco and funk. With 29 Top 20 singles between them both, no one should be complaining.